Call them teens, tweenagers, Echo Boomers or Generation Y (as in, why did my sweet child become such a challenge?), but don’t call them children. Parents of kids 13-18 are faced with daily dilemmas, ski trips are no exception when teens beg to stay home (preferably unsupervised), not wanting to miss that dance or peer party.

When you insist that your growing gangly kid comes along on the “fun” family getaway, you better provide them with “cool” stuff to do. You don’t want to hear that “wish I was home with my friends” whine.

Teens are pretty well entertained in daylight hours amid the ground swell of terrain parks on the slopes. Ironic, even painful, for parents when teens hang out at the parks and pipes all day, despite the mountain of trails included on their pricey lift ticket.

Once the lifts stop you need to find what my mom called “good clean fun” for the pubescent pack. While many teens would be satisfied with a bag of cheese doodles, a couch and an Xbox, several resorts are pumping up their off-slope offerings for trying teens. These resorts recognize the adage that if the kids are happy – so are the “wallets” – (a not so endearing teen expression for their parents paying the bill).

The key to keeping teens active and engaged is providing their own zone (supervised but separate), with sports and games to keep them out of mischief.

Sugarloaf’s village is a naturally self-contained environment, which allows teens their all-important independence – but gives parents comfort. Teens can walk from the condo to the Sports Center for a swim, a scale up the climbing wall, or a game of racquetball. In the evening, teens can further exhaust themselves back on the slopes with nighttime Turbo Tubing.

Gen Y visitors to the Loaf can pay a small admission fee to experience CVA’s Antigravity Complex. This indoor training facility, at the base of the access road, for the private academy’s future Olympians is a jungle of climbing elements, trampolines and a “rad” indoor skate park. How cool to be able to do tricks and stunts where the future Bode of America trains. There is something to be said for the natural rush provided versus teens experimenting with altered states of consciousness in more promiscuous ways.

Sister resort, Sunday River has designated the White Cap base area as a family Fun Center. Teens can wander in and out from games in the lodge’s arcade, to outdoor tubing on two twisty runs served by handle tows, and an ice-skating rink. If Mom and Dad want to keep tabs, they can run up their own tab at the après Cantina or go dancing at Tango Mary’s, both offer views of the kid venues. On most Saturdays, White Cap is the site of fireworks and bonfires.

If your kid-leash is a bit longer (mine are still tweens – requiring they be nearby, in the same zip code), Sunday River’s free Mountain Explorer shuttle will deliver your teenagers to the Big Adventure Center in Bethel for laser tag (you cough up the dough – and off they go), or to the cinema for an age-appropriate PG-13 feature flick.

Bolton Valley’s sports center should occupy hard-to-please teens. There is the obligatory heated pool and hot tub, plus a basketball court, and a game room with pool table and big screen TV. And of course, Bolton has night skiing and riding which is a definite healthy diversion for young divas and daredevils looking for snow dates.

Smugglers’ Notch has always taken the biz of family fun very seriously. They recognize that kids grow out of pizza and a movie with mascots, and that teens are a big part of the vacation decision factor.

Smuggs’ has stepped up with not one but two separate teen centers to divide and conquer the difficult age divisions. And get this – no parents allowed – not even for a peek. That restriction is an obvious perk for peer mingling, and awards Smuggs the instant cool stamp (note: teens are supervised by trained staff).

Smuggs’ Teen Alley for ages 13-15 has trendy Playstation, and Xbox, plus organized Nightspiker Vollyball and Splash Parties. Outer Limits is a yurt with a chem-free Studio 45 Dance Club open till midnight for the 16 and up set. More good news for parents, teens are treated like kids only when it comes to lodging rates at Smuggs.’

Cranmore has a few factors making it a cool winter hang out. First there is the location in North Conway, near tons of shops (teens do love to shop), two movie theatres and the town’s ice arena. Second is Cranapalooza, a slopeside party every Saturday from 2-9pm with live music, park and pipe competitions, night skiing and tubing, a bonfire, torchlight parade and fireworks. Lift tickets are $12 for the 11-lighted trails and the Darkside Terrain Park from 4-9pm. Also included is admission to Cranmore’s Family Fitness Center with a pool and a rock-climbing wall.

When your kids are no longer cute and cuddly, not just content to hit the hay after a big ski day – take them to these resorts to check out the themed teen scene. You might find their “fresh” comments and sassy “bored” remarks are replaced in the fresh air with gratified grins and enthused sparks. You may even get a “thanks Mom and Dad” – hey parents can dream too!